The Beast Within
by Unicorn-Gal1
Summary: sequel to Random Virus-after the mysterious death of the G.O.D's former team captain, things seem to go downhill, but why does Galloping Knightmare(oc bit beast) keep appearing? has it got something to do with the death? read Random Virus first.


THE BEAST WITHIN

CHAPTER ONE

A year had past since the G.O.D had lost one of their members to a tragic battle. Even though all this time had greatly affected Cherie, it had affected Johnny the most.

'Man, I just can't do this anymore. Everywhere I turn there's something there to remind me that one of my best friends is gone forever.' Johnny cried out painfully while he sat with the others in the park. 'It's like she's trying to come back.'

Ruby rubbed his arms in comfort. 'Calm down, we all know how you feel. Imagine how Oliver feels hanging with us knowing he can't hold her close anymore.'

Oliver had opted out of hanging out with the others. Instead he chose to return to France for a while to clear his head. That was a month after Malita's death.

Enrique was on the phone yet again, this time he talked in a low tone. There was a short pause, and then he hung up.

'Oliver's coming back this evening. Apparently he's having a hard time with his dad about this whole thing.'

Johnny got up, and slowly walked off. 'I can't take it any more. I'm going home.'

'Johnny, it's ok. Just remember we're all here for you.' Evette reassured. 'I think it's wise if we all head home.'

When they got back to the Wooldridge's estate, Oliver was there. He seemed very pale and sickly.

'Hey honey.' Evette whispered as she cuddled him. 'How are you feeling?'

He breathed heavily. 'I'm fine I guess. The visit home was a waste of time. My father's idea of support is to tell you to get over it and find someone else. So most of the time he was looking for a girl for me.'

'Oh, that's upsetting.'

'Tell me about it. I can't even stand him anymore.'

Johnny walked past and headed upstairs. Oliver watched sadly as his teammate slumped around and headed for his room. Ruby placed a hand on the French's arm.

'He's taking this really hard. Just give him time, ok?'

Oliver nodded and followed him. He found Johnny lying on his bed, staring at a stain on the ceiling.

'You ok?' The green haired boy asked. Johnny looked at him with bloodshot eyes, which were swelling with tears. Oliver painfully looked at him, and then left the room. Johnny got off the bed and stood on his balcony. He lazily stared down at the courtyard and noticed a black Pegasus innocently standing and gazing up at him. He took a double take, and it had disappeared.

'I'm losing it now, next I'll be talking to every horse in existence.' He said lazily.

Knock, Knock.

'I'll get it.' Evette said as she opened the door. A lonely postman stood and greeted her.

'I was wondering if a Mr. Polanski lives here?' he asked kindly.

'Yeah, I'll just get him for you.' She said as she turned and headed upstairs. The next minute Oliver came down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

'Yeah, what's up?' he asked sleepily.

'I have a letter addressed to you. Here.' The postman handed him a rather fancy envelope. It had the sender's name on the seal. He stared in disbelief at the name._ Malita Wooldridge._

'Is this some kind of sick joke?' he asked, starting to get aggravated.

'I don't think so, this girl was kinda desperate for you to get it.' The postman replied, noticing the facial expressions. 'Well I best be off, I have loads to post.'

He bowed and departed on his motorcycle. Oliver slammed the door behind him and stormed up to his room. He flung himself on his bed and angrily stared at the letter. Fuming, he ripped it open and pulled out a small piece of parchment. He read it painfully. It was her handwriting, and what she would normally say to him when they were alone. Tears swelled when he read the words; _I love you._ Evette walked in and hugged him tightly when he dropped the letter and cried.

Evette departed downstairs and headed out to the courtyard. She sat at the pond and watched the family of ducks swim around happily. She leant over and looked at her reflection, only it wasn't just hers. Over her shoulder was a black Pegasus, staring down with her. Evette turned to find she was alone. When she leant over the pond again, it was just her reflection. The Pegasus had gone.

'That was weird, I could've sworn I saw Galloping Knightmare just now.' She asked herself.

'Who you talking to?' asked the voice of Enrique.

'I was talking to myself.' She replied softly. 'I thought I saw Galloping Knightmare's reflection in the water.'

Enrique sat down beside her. 'Well, Johnny claimed he saw it in the courtyard last night. So you're not going crazy if that's what you think.'

'Hey, have you seen Ashanti lately?'

'Naw, she's in Mexico with Antonio. She moved in with him, so I don't think we'll be seeing them for a while.'

Evette stared in the water in disbelief. 'This whole thing's really starting to tear us apart.'

'For once I'm thinking the same thing as someone.' He replied as he chucked a pebble in the water and watched it ripple.

The secret letters came monthly, then weekly, and now they were coming every few days. Everyone except Oliver didn't bother to answer the door, as the postmen and women refused to give it to them. This time the letter was quite small.

'Here, she claims this is the last one.' The lady said as she handed over the letter. 'This girl must really love you if she keeps sending you letters this close together.'

'Yeah thanks.' Oliver said as he closed the door once again. He trudged back up to his room to read the final letter in private.

'Something's up with him.' Enrique stated as he and Robert watched him close the door hastily. 'You think he has a new girlfriend and won't tell us?'

'Oh I highly doubt that.' Robert replied. 'He wouldn't be so secretive if that was so. You know what he is like, he's too emotional.'

'Then, what do you think the letters are about then?'

'That I cannot answer.'

Oliver sat on his bed and opened his letter. This time it was a brief message.

_Oliver,_

I need to see you, to prove that I do still exist. I want to let everyone know that I didn't die that night, and that I need to explain the whole story to you. I want to tell you what happened that night and why I haven't returned for so long. Meet me in the courtyard at midnight tonight. Come alone.

Love always

Malita.

Oliver read it over and over several times, just for it to sink in properly. He was going to see her again, after a year apart they were finally going to be together once more. He had to make sure that no one would possibly follow him, so he decided to depart for bed earlier than usual, when in reality he would climb out the window and head for the distant corner of the courtyard.

He got there and noticed a black Pegasus standing idly, and it stared at him. He put the letter in front of his face to make sure he had read correctly, and when he lowered it he couldn't believe his eyes.

Standing before him was Malita, with the wings and tail of Galloping Knightmare. She smiled and her tail swished happily.

'I told you I'm back.' She whispered. Oliver couldn't believe his eyes. He reached out slowly and touched her cheek. She grabbed his hand and her eyes swelled with tears. He pulled her closed and embraced her lips in a kiss. Her wings wrapped around her arms and seemed to dissolve into her skin. The tail was also gone.

'I can't believe it, it's really you.' Oliver said as he cuddled his girlfriend.

'Of course it's me. What, you didn't recognize my wording in the letters, let alone the handwriting.'

Oliver kissed her forehead. 'Everyone thinks you're dead.'

'Really? I would've thought they wouldn't believe what they read.'

'Well, they did. They'd be so happy if they saw you.'

'Well c'mon then.' She grabbed his hand. 'Let's go and sort this out with everyone.'

The door opened slightly, and the couple walked in quietly.

'Hello?' Malita's voice echoed throughout the house. She heard footsteps getting louder, and Evette came stampeding down the stairs. She stopped and when she saw her former team captain, she screamed. She flung her arms around Malita and pulled her into a long bear hug.

'I can't believe it, you're alive!' she squealed as she hugged tighter.

'Evette it's alright.' Malita said, her voice muffled. 'Could you let go of my head? I can't breathe.'

Evette let go, looking a little sheepish. Next moment everyone else had come downstairs to see what the commotion was. They looked in shock when they saw Malita standing there. Well, all were there except for Johnny. The girls all squealed and group hugged her, Enrique also joined in, and Robert shook her hand.

'Hey where's Johnny?' Malita asked after everyone settled down.

'Oh, he's upstairs.' Ruby stated wearily. 'He hasn't been himself for months now.'

Malita nodded and told everyone to hush as she proceeded upstairs. She reached a closed door, and slowly opened it to see the Scotsman sitting on his bed while staring through the window.

'Hn, I would've thought you'd be the first downstairs to shut Evette up.'

Johnny turned around and stood up slowly. Malita got off the doorframe and met her friend in the center of the room. Very fast and ungracefully, Johnny hugged his friend tightly, tears swelling in his eyes.

'When'd you come back?' he asked, his lips quivering.

'Just tonight, it's been a while.' Malita replied. 'Come, I want to tell you all everything that's happened. I need to explain why they thought I was dead.'

She grabbed his hand and led him downstairs.

'So, where's Ashanti gone to?' she asked, noticing her Spanish friend's presence was no longer around.

'Oh, she's in Mexico with Antonio. They moved in together not long ago.' Johnny replied. 'She couldn't stand being in England anymore because of all the news reports and stuff like that, so Antonio took her back to Mexico. I think they're deciding to start a family soon.'

'Oh, how sweet.'

The eight sat in the lounge room once again, and Malita explained the whole thing to them.

'Well, that night when Marhek challenged me, I wasn't ready to challenge the remaining three. So I took them all on, eliminating them one by one, starting with Chad. He escaped before I could finish him off, but I had the pieces of his blade.' She rubbed her neck, and Robert noticed two round marks on her neck.

'May I ask what they are on your neck?' He asked curiously.

'Yeah, while I was preoccupied with Chad, Whispering Venom bit me. So I turned on him next. I killed Domenic, which was the other body that disappeared.'

'You killed someone?' Evette asked worriedly.

'Yes I killed both Domenic and Marhek.' Malita replied grimly. 'But I never found out what happened after I killed Marhek. The last part of the battle knocked me out. When I woke up, a team had me in medical care. The only way to save me was if they fused my beast into my blood stream. Had they not found me when they did, I would've died.'

'Who found you?' Enrique asked curiously.

'Oh, the Dark Bladers. At least I think that's what they're called.'

The Majestics stared in disbelief. Did they hear wrong, or did their greatest enemies save an ally's life? Johnny's suspicion arose about the bite marks. They seemed too small for a giant snakes, then again he never really saw how big it really was. Plus, the Dark Bladers did have a vampire and a werewolf on the team.

'Are you sure it was them?' Robert asked very concerned.

'Yeah, why? Is that a problem?'

'Well yes because, if you were unaware, but the Dark Bladers are infact our worst enemies.'

The girls looked at Robert in shock, but Malita folded her arms. 'I didn't have a problem with them. They were actually quite pleasant for, um, a group of monsters.'

She looked coldly and the conversation ended right there.

CHAPTER TWO

'Evette, what's your problem?!?' Julia yelled in the dining room. Ruby was cleaning glasses, but was shaking as she did.

'The problem is that I'm against Malita being friends with the enemy that's the problem!' Evette yelled back.

'So you're leaving, just when your friend has come back?!?'

'No, because those creeps are after the one I love and they're probably using her to get to them!'

'I don't believe this. Why can't you respect her decisions for once in your life?!?'

'Well if they weren't so stupid maybe I would!'

'WOULD YOU TO JUST STOP IT?!?' Both girls turned to see Malita standing there, her fists clenched. 'Can't you see this is tearing everyone apart?'

Both girls looked away from everyone.

Malita turned to walk away. 'Malita I.' Evette stammered.

'I don't want to hear it. I knew I never should've come back.' She replied as she headed outside, wiping her eyes. Both Evette and Julia turned to the kitchen to see that Ruby had dropped a glass and was cleaning it up. She tipped the pieces in the bin and ran to her room. Julia turned away from Evette and headed to the Library, and Evette angrily started to wash the remaining dishes.

Ruby sat in her room, staring at the phone longingly. Ashanti had told her to ring if things got a little uneasy. So she picked the phone up, dialed the number and waited for an answer.

'Hello?'

'Hey Ashanti, it's Ruby.'

'Oh hey honey, you sound upset. What's wrong?'

'Well, Malita's come back, and she's made an alliance with the Dark Bladers. Evette and Julia are now tearing strips off each other because of it.'

'Wait a sec. Malita's come back? So she's alive?'

'Yeah, long story. I was just ringing to say not to come back, and I don't even know that we have a team anymore.'

'Gee, was it that bad?'

'You don't know the half of it.'

'I'm coming back then.'

'You'd better not, unless you want to be in the middle of it all.'

'I'm coming back and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, I need to catch up with my best friend, and I will help with this whole fiasco. Later.'

Ruby put the phone down and sat on her bed, hugging her knees tightly. She looked out the window and thought about what Evette had said. Ruby decided she did agree with her, and Julia was being out of line. She got up and went to find Robert for advice.

Julia sat in a dusty old chair, flicking through old books. But nothing was distracting her enough, she kept thinking of the fight. She had gone against her best friend to protect another, but she felt like she had to. Ruby wasn't about to jump in, and Ashanti wasn't around to do it.

'Hey, what happened?' Oliver stood in the doorway.

'Oh, I'm just having a fallout with my best friend and our team's tearing apart, but other than that nothing.'

'Oh. Care to explain what happened?'

'Yeah sure, sit down.'

Malita stood at the lake and threw a stone in quite forcefully. She picked up another and was about to throw it, when a hand grabbed hers while it as above her shoulder.

'You're not doing it right.' Johnny cheeked softly. Malita dropped the stone and sat down. Johnny sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

'You alright?'

'No, I'm just so confused.' Malita's head drooped. 'I mean, I want to stay in touch with the Dark Bladers only because they saved my life, but then again I'm endangering others because of it. I don't know what to do.'

Johnny pulled her into his chest. 'Look, it's your decision. But which ever one you choose, someone's going to get hurt anyway.'

Malita hugged him and rested her head on his chest. 'You know you've always been a brother to me. And I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Evette continued to clean furiously, and didn't even turn around to anything, even when Enrique snuck in and whipped her across the butt with a tea towel. She began to scrub everything in the kitchen, and Enrique stopped her when she went to do it again.

'Man, you really need a new hobby.' He commented. 'Come and sit down.'

He guided her to the living room and she sat down beside him.

'Ok, tell me what's gotten into you lately?' Enrique asked calmly. 'You've been freaking everyone out.'

'You really want to know what's wrong? Your girlfriend's attitude towards this scenario is the problem.'

'You're gonna hafta have an explanation backing that theory up.' He replied defending his girl. 'I heard that you had input to this as well.'

'We had an argument over Malita's relationship towards the Dark Bladers and it got out of hand. And now we're not speaking to each other.'

'That's it?'

'Yep, and I'm against Julia on this. She's defending Malita and I don't think she should.'

Enrique got up. 'Fine, if Julia's against you then so am I.' He stormed out of the room, and almost knocked Robert and Ruby over.

'He left in a hurry. What happened?' Robert asked.

'Well, Mr. Playboy is now against me with Julia.' Evette replied. 'It's like I'm the bad guy here, no one's on my side.'

'Well we are. We think Julia's in the wrong.' Ruby added. Evette smiled as the two sat beside her.

Johnny had agreed with Enrique and Julia on this, putting him against his girlfriend. So he stayed in another room until this thing blew over. Evette and Julia still weren't having anything to do with each other, and even Enrique and Robert were no longer talking to each other. Then Malita and Oliver were caught in the middle, ready to pick up the pieces.

'I can't believe this is happening.' Oliver said sadly. He was sitting on the couch, while Malita was painting beside him, claiming she was relieving stress.

'Yeah well, as long as we stay out of this, it'll die down soon.' She replied as she put her brush in the water. 'Finished.'

Oliver leaned over and stared in wonder at the painting. It was of Unicolyon, and it was elegantly rearing.

'Wow, when was that from?' Oliver asked.

'From the first time we met, remember?' she replied. 'It was when Johnny took me to France to meet you.' Her smiled slowly faded. Thinking of her friend was painful.

'Hey, I know how you feel about this, don't worry.' Oliver said as he took his girlfriend's hand. She got off her stool and lay on the couch with him.

'I just want this to be over, I mean, Johnny's in his own room for pete's sake. He should be with Ruby, not against her.'

Oliver stroked her face and leant over the top of her. 'Don't worry, we'll sort it out in the end, ok?'

Malita nodded and they started kissing, just as Enrique walked in.

'Oh geez, could you guys get a room?' he asked startled by what he walked in on.

'Oh we do have a room, only you walked in.' Malita replied.

'Smart ass.' Enrique replied. 'I mean a room that's not a social one?'

'Fine, we will.' Malita said as they got off the couch and headed upstairs hand in hand.

Enrique shook his head. 'Honestly, you'd think they'd learn from my mistake.' He looked at the painting and raised his eyebrows, deeply impressed.

It was night, and Oliver couldn't sleep. Sure he respected his girlfriend's wishes, but he thought it was dangerous to have their enemies as her friends. He looked down in his arms at his slumbering girlfriend. The bite marks on her neck had dramatically faded; yet, they seemed to close together to be from Whispering Venom. His attention flicked to outside. He thought he saw someone lurking in the bushes. Quietly and gently, he removed his arms from Malita's body, put on some underwear, and retrieved his clothing. He proceeded downstairs and on the way grabbed whatever seemed like a weapon. Coincidently there were swords on the wall, so with one in hand, he proceeded to the forest where he thought he saw one of his rivals. What he was planning to do with the sword he had no idea, but it was a good idea at the time.

He glided across the courtyard, and hid behind a stone pillar when he saw five hooded figures standing in a circle, facing each other. Oliver just stared wide eyed, and whizzed around when he felt a finger touch him on the shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief to see it was only Malita, Julia and Enrique.

'Dude, you saw them too.' He whispered.

'Er, yeah. I thought you were asleep?'

'Well, we saw them earlier so as soon as you left we decided to follow.' Malita replied. 'They're the Dark Bladers.'

Enrique cocked an eyebrow. 'And how do you know that?'

'Well, I have lived with them for a year; so I should know how they dress. Ssshh. They're plotting something.'

'Hah, that girl is so foolish. She played right into our trap. Now we can kill the Majestics once and for all!'

'But Sanquinex, what about the girls?'

'They will fall victim to our hands as well.'

'I don't wish to spoil your plan but,' the werewolf lowered his hood. 'One of those girls happens to be my offspring.'

The Vampire Sanquinex looked in disgust. 'Does it seem that I care whether your daughter is the pawn for this plan or not? I don't think so. You see Lupinex, I am the leader, and therefore I call the shots. Are you going to help us or not?'

Lupinex hung his head. Sanquinex nodded and continued to explain the plot. The three bladers looked at Malita in disbelief. She too wore the expression on her face.

'I can't believe it, Lupinex is my father…' Malita trailed off. 'So all these so called business trips were really attempts of murdering you. Oh no.'

The moonlight was shining through the clouds. Tonight was a full moon.

'Don't tell me you turn into a werewolf on a full moon?' Enrique asked nervously.

'No, must get bitten to be one.' Malita replied. 'But I turn into Galloping Knightmare on a full moon. That's why I haven't come back for so long, because I can't control the effects.'

Julia shivered. 'Then what do we do?'

'I don't know.' Malita's hair changed colour to purple. 'Go and warn the others about this. I'll try to handle myself.'

Enrique and Julia nodded and bolted for the estate. Oliver kept a close watch on the Dark Bladers, but they seemed to disappear. He screwed his face up when he felt hot breath on his neck. He turned slowly to see Galloping Knightmare breathing on him, and it didn't seem so happy.

'Oh, no.'

Galloping Knightmare snorted angrily and reared. Oliver scampered backwards, and as Galloping Knightmare came crashing down, its hooves barely missed his thighs.

Julia and Enrique slowed down to catch their breath. They looked around to find that they were one person short.

"Um, where's Oliver?' Julia asked looking around. Enrique shrugged his shoulders.

'I thought he was behind us.'

They both heard sickening cries coming from where they just were. They both panicked and ran back, to find Galloping Knightmare had cornered Oliver and was inching closer to him ever so slowly. Enrique grabbed a rock and threw it at the horse's head as a distraction and pulled out his blade. Galloping Knightmare stopped and coldly stared at Enrique. Julia placed a hand on his arm.

'You can't use that, you'll hurt her.'

He stared down at her sternly. 'This isn't your real friend. I know how you feel, I don't want to hurt her either, but it's the only way to stop her. Just pretend she's just another enemy.'

Julia pulled her hand away and let him do what he thought was right. She thought Enrique was going to use his blade as a weapon, but he merely launched it and released Amphilyon.

'You know I don't want to hurt anyone, but this is for your own good. Amphilyon, go!'

The red beast roared and used its two heads to distract Galloping Knightmare, but it didn't work as Enrique hoped. Galloping Knightmare reared and pinned one head down, then gave the other a powerful boot in the jaw. Amphilyon cried under the weight, but no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't wiggle out of its grip. Julia realized what he was trying to do, so she released Storm of the Ocean. They thought that they had Galloping Knightmare, but it thought otherwise. As Storm of the Ocean leaped at Galloping Knightmare, it kicked it while still pinning Amphilyon to the ground. Storm of the Ocean fell to its knees and panted to try to gain its breath.

'What? I didn't realize it was this powerful, or swift even.' Julia stated.

'We can't give up that easily, unless of course you got a better idea?'

Oliver pulled out his blade. 'I guess it's my turn.' He launched it and Unicolyon emerged. Galloping Knightmare faced Unicolyon and stood idly. Unicolyon nuzzled the Pegasus and waited for a reaction. Galloping Knightmare shook its head and pawed the ground gently.

'Hey, it's working.' Enrique stated.

'Of course it is. Galloping Knightmare and Unicolyon have had a special bond since the day they sensed each other 5 years ago.' Oliver said looking up at the sky. The sun was slowly rising, and the clouds were disappearing. The sunlight beamed down on the group, and the next minute Malita was on her hands and knees panting.

'You ok?' Julia asked as she helped her friend up.

'Yeah.' Malita replied weakly. 'We'd better head back and warn the others about the Dark Bladers.'

'Whose side are you on?'

'My own side.'

CHAPTER THREE

It seemed like everything as going from bad to worse. Enrique and Robert wouldn't even be in the same room as each other, Julia and Evette were still on a no talking stage, and no matter how hard Ashanti tried, she just couldn't help them whatsoever. The good thing was that Johnny and Ruby were sharing a room again, but she still ignored him. Everyone seemed confused by Malita however, she kept chopping and changing her mind to suit herself, therefore no one was even sure whether she was either side anymore. But Evette and Malita's relationship seemed way beyond over, that is, until one horrible rainy day occurred and everyone was locked in the house for the day.

Evette casually walked into the living room and noticed Malita writing in a book. Even when Evette stood right at the end of the couch she didn't look up. Evette cleared her throat and folded her arms.

'Do you think we could talk?' Evette asked. Malita put her book down and let her sit down.

'Look, I want to apologize for the other day.' Evette said sympathetically. 'I shouldn't have made accusations about your decisions.'

Malita folded her legs. 'You don't need to apologize to me about it. I found out who the Dark Bladers really were, so I've cut all connections with them.'

'Look, you don't need to do that…'

'I do if I want everyone to survive.'

Evette unfolded her arms. 'You must be the most confusing person I've ever met.' They both giggled. 'But I still want you to take the apology. You need it and so does everyone else.'

Malita put her hand on Evette's. 'I'll only take it if we can be friends again, deal?'

'Deal.' Evette smiled. 'I guess that's two things sorted out for you.'

'What's the other?'

'Oh, your sex life.'

Malita went pink. 'I as afraid you'd say something like…' she trailed off. 'Hang on, how do you know that's the other thing."

Evette giggled. 'Oh, well someone accidentally left the door slightly open the other night, so after I saw the door open and, you know, I closed it for you.'

Malita put her hands over her face to hide her now scarlet red face. Evette paid no attention. 'But anyway, that same night Robert and I talked a lot, and…' She trailed off and held up her wedding hand. On her wedding finger was a large diamond ring. Malita stared in awe and smiled. 'You're kidding, right?'

'Nope, the wedding's next May.' Evette sighed dreamily. 'It was so romantic how he proposed. It was a beautiful clear night, and he did it so nobly.'

'Well of course he would, he is a prince after all.'

'Yeah, but he's the best thing that's happened to me.'

Malita giggled and flung her arms around her friend. 'I'm so happy for you. I can't believe how fast we've all grown up.'

'Yeah well, I want to be the first person to know about any special events, alright?'

'Well, you'd be the second. My boyfriend'll be the first.'

Evette giggled. 'Oh yes of course.'

Malita got up. She grabbed her friend and they headed to the library. 'C'mon, now that we're sorted you need to mend more breakage.'

'Why are we going to the library Johnny?' Julia asked as Johnny pushed towards the library.

'Oh, you'll see.' He replied grinning. He opened the door, pushed Julia through and closed it again. 'Just wait in here for a little bit, I'll be right back.'

Johnny giggled. Malita came with Evette and she too was locked in the library. Malita and Johnny both stifled their laughs.

'Well, one pair down, the other one to go.' Malita said after calming down. 'You get Robert and I'll handle Enrique.'

Johnny gave the thumbs up and they darted off in different directions. Oliver and Ruby came to see what was so funny, but were almost knocked over by the two as they darted off.

'Do you think they're up to something?' Ruby asked as their eyes followed their backs. Oliver shrugged and the two continued their walk and talk.

Evette and Julia stared at each other sternly, neither backing down.

How could they do this, they know about the whole thing.' Julia stated angrily. Evette folded her arms.

'They did this for a reason. They want us to figure this whole thing out, otherwise they wont let us out.'

Julia sighed. 'But you realize even though I may be wrong, I'm still gonna support Malita's decision.'

'Well I'll just let you know that she talked to me about it this morning. She doesn't want anything to do with them anymore.'

Julia looked up. 'Well I'll be supportive of her decision then.'

'That makes two of us.' Evette replied. 'This is stupid. We should support any decisions our teammates make, not be against each other on them. I'm sorry.'

'Yeah I'm sorry too.' Julia replied. 'Let's just hope the others are more accepting.'

They both heard a soft tapping on the door. The next minute Ruby unlocked the door and let them out.

'Glad you got that sorted. There's just the two boys and then the road's smooth again.'

Evette smirked. 'You listened to everything we just said.'

'Yep, I didn't expect it to take this quick to apologize to each other though.' Ruby giggled and darted off when Evette and Julia chased after her.

That night Evette tossed and turned in her sleep. Various dreams formed and slowly turned to nightmares…

**Evette's dream Pov.**

I was standing on what seemed to be a huge mass of nothing. Scattered around me were the lifeless bodies of my fallen teammates. Near them were their blades, each either chipped or had huge chunks missing out of them. As I wait in hope of one slight movement or even a small twitch from my friends, four cloaked figures appear before me. They all lower their hoods to reveal themselves as the Dark Bladers. They tower over me, and their grasps are four unconscious bodies of the Majestics.

'See before you, Evette.' Sanquinex smiles evilly. 'Your team was foolish enough to take us on, and in doing so cleared a path to their beasts and our goal of destroying our worst enemies. All that's left is to clean the mess, you!'

A blinding flash filled the dream, and Evette woke up with sweat poring down her face. She heard footsteps stampeding down the hall, and the next minute her friends were in the doorway.

'Are you ok?' Ashanti asked holding a bat. Evette took somewhat little notice to it.

'Yeah, just a bad dream, that's all.'

'Yeah sure, just a bad dream.' Johnny stated while yawning. 'You must've been screaming so hard you woke the whole house up. That was definitely a nightmare.'

Evette shuddered. But she was relieved that is was just in her head. 'Yeah, well I hope it stays a nightmare and no more.'

Everyone departed for bed, except Malita. She stood in the doorway with a face of deep concern. Evette folded her arms, she felt uncomfortable by her friends concern.

'I know what that was about, I sensed it.' She said quietly. 'I know you're concerned, but they need to finish this off, with our help.'

'Yeah well I don't think I can do it.' Evette replied. 'Could we talk about this in the morning?'

Malita nodded and she too departed for bed. Evette stared down at her slumbering fiancée, and curled up in his arms.

"C'mon, you can do better then that.'

Malita and Julia were currently sparring in a beybattle, Julia wasn't too impressed.

'It seems you've lost your touch.' Julia commented as her blade cleanly knocked Earth Vixen out of the stadium. Malita knelt down and scooped her dead sister's blade up, gently caressing it like as if she were touching rose petals.

'Hey what's wrong?' Julia asked as she collected her blade. 'You can do better then this, I know it.'

Malita looked down at her other hand at her empty blade. 'I'm not up to battling. My hearts just not in it anymore. I mean, the other blades are good, but it's just not the same. I need Galloping Knightmare here in this blade, not inside me. And I'm not going to blade until that wish is for filled.'

Malita got up and casually strode out of the training room. Julia stared down at her blade and clutched it tightly.

'I hope I never get separated from you ever.' She whispered to her blade.

That night it was Julia's turn to dream. But her dream was far from frightening. She was standing in a shallow pool of water, and Storm of the Ocean was sitting beside her.

'Is something wrong child?' She asked quietly. Julia sighed.

'Yes, I'm worried about my friends.'

'Ah, about Evette's dream and Malita quitting?' Her eyes smiled wisely.

'How do you know about that?'

'Like you, your friends connect with their beasts, but one of them is unable to. Do you know why?'

Julia thought for a moment. 'Malita can't because Galloping Knightmare is within her, so the connection's broken?'

'Precisely. And she has clearly stated her wish, which is to have her beast removed from her body. But this is almost impossible. She needs a bit beast within her to survive, but there is one person who could for fill this dream. Do you know this may be?'

'You don't mean Lupinex, do you?' Storm of the Ocean nodded, and Julia sat down. Storm of the Ocean wrapped her paw around her human and pulled her in close.

'And it seems only you know about this. Which is why it is your job to get in touch with Lupinex for her. I can connect with his beast, and we will arrange a meeting for you. Is that clear?'

'Yes, but Storm.' She looked down. 'Will he want to help? Even after their plan?'

'Of course he will. A parent shall never turn a blind eye to his child, no matter what the consequences are. Remember that child.'

Storm of the Ocean got up, stretched, and then slowly and gracefully walked away. Julia closed her eyes, and when she opened them she was back in her room.

'Man, what a strange dream, or was it?' She asked herself as she stared out the window. 'Let's hope Storm can pull this off, or there's no hope of a team ever again.'

It was now October, and since then Julia had been sneaking out to compromise with the werewolf. No one suspected her to be the most likely to communicate with them, so it was just as the bit beasts had planned. Julia jumped through the bathroom window the last night, a letter attached to her shoe. She tiptoed through the house, and placed the letter face up on the most obvious table that everyone sees when they enter the room.

'And where have you been?'

Julia jumped at the voice and whizzed around. She breathed a sigh of relief to see Ashanti sitting on a chair, her arms folded in a curious stance.

'What's it to you where I've been?' Julia placed her hands on her hips.

'Well, I've noticed you've been sneaking around a lot lately.' Ashanti smirked. 'And now you turn up with a letter, how very suspicious.'

Julia's gaze narrowed. 'Look, if you're dying to know, I'm just helping a friend.'

'If you say so.' Ashanti replied unconvinced. 'Just make sure next time you be more sneakier.'

'Er, ok.' Julia looked in puzzlement. Ashanti waved her hand.

'I mean you need to go later on, or someone's going to be questioning you.' Ashanti's smirked faded. 'Imagine if Evette caught you sneaking out to see Lupinex, she'd be questioning your friendship, wouldn't she?'

Julia understood what her friend was getting at now. 'Oh, so you're just telling me to protect my friendships.' Ashanti nodded.

The house was rudely awakened early by the crying of baby Kitty. Julia tried her hardest to nurse her back to sleep, but it was too late. Everyone woke up grumpy.

'Ugh, I can't believe we did this.' Enrique groaned as his girlfriend handed their baby to him. 'Let's just pray this'll be the only one for a while, from anyone.'

Malita sleepily trudged down the stairs, rubbing her eye and yawning.

'Oh I'm sorry.' Julia said sympathetically. 'Go back to bed.'

'Oh, it doesn't matter.' She replied yawning. 'Once I'm up, I'm wide-awake. You want a coffee or tea?'

'Just a coffee thanks.' Julia replied. By the puzzlement in her friend's voice, she had found the letter.

'Mail's early this morning.' She said, opening it cautiously. 'Oh, it's a letter from my father.'

'Really? Anything interesting?' Julia asked trying to sound surprised. Malita smirked and leant on the kitchen bench.

'You had something to do with this, didn't you?' Julia shrugged her shoulders as best as she could.

Oliver yawned slightly and proceeded down the stairs, but stopped half way. He leant on the wall and smiled wisely at his girlfriend fussing enthusiastically over Kitty. The baby stirred happily as she was nursed by her mother.

'Oh she's so adorable.' Malita said as she tickled Kitty's stomach. The baby stirred and blew raspberries.

'Heh, she really likes you.' Julia giggled. 'You know you'd make a good mum one day.'

'Oh, I wouldn't push it.' Malita ripped open the letter. 'So, it was you that did this for me.'

'What makes you say that?'

'It says so in the letter.'

Julia smirked and slowly nursed Kitty to sleep. Malita's face seemed to light up as she read more of the letter.

'Wow, he's really going to do this.' Malita smiled as Julia handed Enrique the baby. 'And it wouldn't happen if it wasn't for you. Thank you so much.'

The girls hugged each other, and Malita headed upstairs. She got dressed and headed back down. Ashanti was standing at the front door, her eyes full of happiness and concern.

'You're really gonna do this, aren't you?' She asked. Her friend nodded and kept her gaze on her friends face. 'Well, good luck and be careful.'

'Thanks, you've always been good to me.' Malita hugged her friend. 'Please don't tell anyone else about this, I don't want anyone to worry.'

'Sure, if anyone asks, I'll just say you have to go away for a few days.'

Malita nodded and headed out the door. She mounted her white horse, Lady, and Galloped off into the sunrise.

Ashanti being as loyal as a bit beast kept her promise and explained a totally different story to everyone. Only Julia knew where she really went. When the two were alone, they snuck to the library and took a mobile. Ashanti texted, then waited for an answer. A few seconds later they received a disheartening message.

'What does it say?' Julia asked anxiously.

'This is in exact words. It says: Going to be later then expected. Haven't even reached half way to Newcastle yet. Expecting to be in Glasgow in another three days at the latest. So I'm guessing I'll be back home in about two weeks. Keep in touch.' Ashanti read. 'Gee, I thought Lady was faster then that.'

'But anything could've stopped her and delayed her for a bit.' Julia got up. 'I suppose we'd better train, just in case something apposes us.'

The girls headed for the training room, only to find a fight breaking out, as to what it was about they had no idea. They watched in shock as Johnny took a swing at Enrique, but hit Robert as he jumped in between. Ruby grabbed Johnny back as he kicked and struggled, and Evette pulled Enrique away. Julia held her baby in horror.

'What the hell is going on here?' Ashanti yelled as she wiped Robert's bleeding lip.

'He started it!' Johnny yelled as he pointed at Enrique.

'I did not, he did!' But he didn't point at Johnny, instead he pointed at his best friend. Oliver seethed and pounced on his so-called friend, both crashing down on the floor. Ashanti grabbed the green haired teen and ripped him off the blonde, who had been winded. Johnny had his fists clenched and was gritting his teeth, before stomping out of the room.

'Ok, what is this about?!?' Ashanti asked more forcefully. She let go of the French boy, who gazed angrily at the Italian before leaving behind Johnny. Enrique sat up and rubbed his neck.

'We were just having our usual argument, that's all.' Enrique answered. Robert snorted.

'Yeah, a usual argument. Usually the argument is between the other two, and its clean.'

Evette sighed. 'Enrique and Oliver have been at it all morning. It started off mild with a verbal fight about Mally's dad, then it went to beybattling, then the verbal came from bozo down there all the way through it. That's when it turned physical and Johnny joined in. It still hasn't stopped.'

Julia shook her head. 'For goodness sake, we've been through this before, only it was our team!'

Ashanti threw her hands up in the air. 'And this time I'm staying out of this.'

Robert agreed. 'I may be team captain, but I'm not a babysitter or a councilor, so I can't help. You'd think at least after five years they'd get over it, but no, they continue to act like try hards.'

Cherie had just woken up (at eleven in the morning) and felt the tension from the boys. She didn't realize her sister had left, well actually no one knew whether she knew her sister as actually alive. Ruby and Julia had ignored their boyfriends and would continue to until they stopped their childish behaviour. Ashanti found this a bit intimidating; due to the fact she missed the first one. Antonio came back from Mexico and decided to step in. Robert breathed a sigh of relief when Antonio offered; at least they'd listen to him.

Unfortunately he was wrong.

'Sorry dude, they wont have a bar of it. Johnny wont come out of his room, Enrique wont apologize to Oliver until he admits that he's in the wrong about the Dark Bladers, and Olive wont apologize until he gets more respect about being sensitive.' Antonio sweat dropped. 'Man, they're worse then women.' At this remark he received a slap across the back of the head from Ashanti.

'What?' he asked as he rubbed his head.

Cherie just sat with Julia and shook her head. 'This is so stupid. And Antonio is kinda right.' She stood up. 'Let me try to help. I betcha I could make some difference.'

'Go ahead, anything option will do.' Ruby replied. 'Here I'll come with you.'

Ashanti and Julia heard neighing from outside, so they rushed outside. They expected to find their friend, but instead found Lady rearing, pig rooting and stomping around without a rider.

'Oh no.' Ashanti gasped as she grabbed the reins and calmed the horse down.

'Do you think we should ring her?' Julia asked concerned, Ashanti shook her head.

'What if she's hiding? If we ring her it might blow her cover. We'll just wait for an answer. Just keep a low profile for now.

CHAPTER FOUR

The two weeks had past and Malita still hadn't returned. Ashanti kept her promise and acted as if nothing ever happened. The boys had finally gotten over the fight, and were now acting as best friends again. Evette was stressing because the wedding was only mere months away, and the girls fussed over the whole thing for ages.

'So, we need to find a caterer, a band, dressmaker, a church….'

'Evette, stop. Cross the band off the list.' Ruby grabbed her friend's arm.

'Really how come?' She answered.

Ruby rolled her eyes. 'I used to be the lead singer of a band, remember? I've already made phone calls and the crew should arrive about…' the door was banged on. '..Ooh, now.'

The door swung open and three girls walked in. Ashanti smiled at the blonde and plum haired girl, and the brunette with pink streaks through looked at Robert in happiness.

'Hello little sister, long times no sees.' Robert said as he embraced the brunette.

'I can't believe my big bro's getting married.' The girl faced the others. ' It's been a while since we saw each other.'

The other two looked around. 'Hey, where are our cousins?'

Cherie came running. 'Gemmy, Keirstine!' She cried as she hugged them tight.

Ashanti looked at the blonde. 'Malita's gone out, and she wont be back for a few more days Gemmy.'

Gemmy looked a little disappointed. 'Aw that's too bad. What about Claudia?'

Ashanti forgot how long they hadn't seen each other. 'Claudia died a few years ago. Real bad accident.'

Gemmy looked at Keirstine and they both nodded. 'So, who's the lucky one getting hitched?' Keirstine looked at the girls.

'Oh, that would be me.' Evette piped up. She held her hand out and the two girls squealed.

'Ah, Julia, where are the boys?' Ruby asked quietly.

'How would I know? All I know is that I'm preoccupied with my daughter.'

'Ok, forget I asked.' She approached the three newcomers. 'Come, I'll show to your rooms.'

Ashanti locked herself in her room late one afternoon and answered a phone call on her mobile.

'Hello?'

'Hey it's me.'

'Oh hey, where are you?'

'I'm on the border of London. I have to make one more stop and I'll be back home. I trust Lady got home safely?'

'Yeah, we've put her back in her coral, and your cousins and Lily are here.'

'Really? How come?'

'They're going to be the band at the wedding. They were a little disappointed when they found out you weren't here. Cherie's finally found out you are alive.'

'It took her this long? Gee, she's usually observant. Oh, any signs of the Dark Bladers yet?'

'No, nothing as such. But we've all been practicing and we're ready for anything. So when do you think you'll be back?'

'Oh soon, I hope. I'll see you soon.'

Ashanti hung up and sighed. It had been three weeks and no result from her friend. She really wanted this procedure to work, for the team's sake. At the moment they needed all the strength and skill they could get.

Lily had once again pulled out her blade and had rejoined her team. Keirstine and Gemmy Sat and watched their band member getting back into the swing of things, but they always complained of how childish and boring it was.

'They're just stupid little toys and the aim of the game is so boring.' Keirstine whined one evening.

'I don't see why you enjoy this game anyway.' Gemmy added. 'I mean, it seems childish. And there are plenty of other things that seem better to do.'

Ashanti looked at them in disbelief. 'I can't believe you. This isn't game, it's a sport. And this is turned into a death match. The people that are after us are out for blood this time.'

The two girls just blinked and continued to watch.

'I may change my mind about them if something cool happens.' Keirstine stated.

Lily and Evette were sparring, and Evette nodded to call out the bit beasts.

'Go Eyes of Pressure!' She cried.

'Blazing Panther!' Lily called simultaneously.

Both cores of the blades glowed, and moments later the Peacock spirit and the Panther spirit emerged. The stared each other in the eye for a few seconds, then returned to whence they came from. Keirstine and Gemmy stared in awe, but hid it when Ashanti glanced at them.

'Well, I think we are all ready now.' Robert said smiling.

'It took a lot but I'm back in action.' Lily said as she chucked her blade in the air and caught it again.

'I guess we'd better fine tune our blading then.' Came Enrique's voice. Keirstine and Gemmy whizzed around and stared at him with deep interest. The other two boys with him didn't seem that bad either.

'Gemmy, Keirstine, meet the rest of my team.' Robert introduced. 'The blonde is Enrique, Italian's champion, the red head is Johnny, champion of Scotland, and the green haired boy is Oliver, champion of France.'

'You know, the blonde's really hot.' Gemmy whispered to Keirstine, and they both giggled.

Oliver and Ashanti both looked and rolled their eyes. 'So no sign of her?' He asked.

Ashanti shook her head. 'She did call and say she'd be home soon.'

'Do you know how soon?'

'She didn't even know. It's tough what she's doing.'

'Lily, we need to go now.' Ashanti whispered. Lily merely nodded and they crept outside.

'So, what do these jerks want anyway?' She asked.

'They're after bit beasts. God knows why they want them.' Ashanti explained as they ran across the grass and hid behind a pillar. 'They also want to finish the Majestics off.'

Lily put a finger to her lips and pointed at four robed figures. They seemed to be sensing them, because they glided close to them.

'There are humans here, I can smell them.' Sanquinex wheezed. Cenotaph coughed and erked Ashanti and Lily. They moved slightly, and the Dark Bladers found them.

'My senses never lie.' Sanquinex hissed as he grabbed Ashanti's wrist. Zomb grabbed Lily. 'Live bait. How kind of you to offer.'

Antonio stood at his window, looking down in despair. The girls had been gone too long, he needed to find them. He trudged down the stairs and ran into Julia, Johnny, Ruby, Enrique, Oliver and Robert.

'We heard something outside, we think it's the Dark Bladers.' Ruby said uncomfortably.

'Well, let's go then.' Antonio added hastily. The crew headed outside and found Lily and Ashanti sitting on the floor tied back to back. They both shook their heads, as Antonio got closer, but stopped when beyblades shot out and hit him in all different places. The girls whipped out their blades and counter attacked the blades as they came for a second offence. From the darkness, the Dark Bladers emerged.

'Well, well, well. If it isn't the G.O.D and the Majestics coming to the rescue.' Sanquinex smirked evilly. 'My haven't you all grown so strong in such a short time.'

'The only strong you'll get is when we kicked your ass bucko.' Johnny mouthed off.

'Still the same arrogant fool we know.' Sanquinex continued. 'What's this? One member missing? Dear oh dear, we've crashed the party too early.'

'Why don't you shove your blade in your mouth, or spar with us.' Julia said as she readied her blade. The Dark Bladers laughed.

'You? Battle us? Oh no dear, we want them.' He pointed to the Majestics. 'A pretty girl like you shouldn't be leaping into danger, no. Cenotaph, take care of the cling-ons, them we battle you.'

Cenotaph used his bandages and they magically tied the girls and Antonio up, and then tossed them to one side. The Dark Bladers then pulled out their blades. The Majestics were a little hesitant, but they followed suit.

'You're going down.' Johnny said as his team launched their blades.

'We'll see about that.' Lupinex replied as his team-followed suit.

The eight beasts were released quite early, but instead of them attacking each other, the monster bit beasts proceeded to attack the Majestics. The werewolf pounced and tackled Johnny to the floor, the mummy beast tied up Robert, the Frankenstein beast was crushing Enrique, and the Vampire grabbed Oliver and had its fangs ready to bite. Just as the fangs pierced the skin, a flash of black collided with the vampire and it dropped the Majestic. Galloping Knightmare had returned, and just in time too. Oliver put a hand to his neck and felt warm blood trickling down.

'Oh god, are you alright?' Came a familiar voice. 'Here, put this on to stop the bleeding.'

Oliver as a little dazed, but he noticed a grey beret in his hand. Malita kneeled down beside him and placed a hand on his knee.

'Put it on or you'll bleed to death.' She ordered. Oliver snapped back to reality and held it on.

'It's lucky I came just as it bit you, or you would've become a vampire if you died.' She added as she pushed a loose strand of hair out of his face. He pulled her in close and refused to let go.

'Now it's our turn.' Ashanti said as she pulled out her blade. Gemmy and Keirstine helped Cherie untie the others and stayed back with Antonio. Malita pulled away and stood back to back with Lily.

'Glad to have you by my side once again.' She said as their blades simultaneously spun round each other.

'I wouldn't have it any other way.' Lily replied. 'Time to show these creeps what real darkness is!'

Her blade glowed brightly and Blazing Panther emerged. It stood by Galloping Knightmare and cast eerie shadows on it. Lily took a step forward and Blazing Panther crouched down.

'My poor little kitty isn't fond of little puppies. Sorry doggie, but you're going down.' She said as her beast pounced on the werewolf and sunk its claws and teeth in. the werewolf howled and struggled to shake the panther off, but this only made her sink her teeth in further.

'My turn, Galloping Knightmare, show this haunted toilet paper who's in charge.'

Galloping Knightmare reared and flung her head around. While she was preoccupied with the release of Robert, Lightning Rabbit and Winged Waterbomb took on the Frankenstein. It let go of Enrique and started to swing its fists madly. Unfortunately it was situated behind Lily and Malita, and its fists collided with them, flinging them metres apart from each other. Lily fell hard but got right back up, but Malita blacked out on impact and lifelessly lay on the floor. Her blade bounced and lay motionless next to her out stretched hand. Lily had one eye slightly closed, and was clutching her arm.

'Are you ok?' Ashanti asked nervously.

'Yes, but look out!' Lily pointed, but it was too late. The fists collided with Ashanti and Ruby and they lay sprawled out on the ground, motionless. Their blades lay metres away from them, all chipped and one had a huge chunk missing. Lily turned slightly to hear someone running towards them. It was Evette, and she didn't seem too pleased.

'Oh god, this is just like my dream.' She choked as she saw her friends lying lifeless. Lily's legs buckled and she fell on the floor. Evette rushed over and held her up.

'What happened?' Evette asked fearfully.

'We were ambushed by them. They used us as bait to trap the others.' Lily coughed. 'There's nothing we can do in this state. They won't wake up.'

Robert, Johnny and Enrique were also unconscious; the only people who were fit to fight were Antonio, Julia, Evette and Oliver. Evette pulled out her blade and stared for a moment. She clutched it to her chest and looked at her friends. Gemmy and Keirstine kept Cherie with them as they stared in horror.

'I need to do this, for the sake of my friends.' She said as she launched her blade. The other three followed suit and all called their beasts.

'Been there done that.' Saquinex stated lazily. 'We'll just defeat you like your pitiful friends.'

'You'll never bring us down.' Evette said as Eyes of Pressure wrapped its tail gently around Evette's body and they stared each other in the eye. 'Just as long as you have friends you can count on, anything's possible.'

Unicolyon tossed its head and Eyes of Pressure used its back as a perch. Winged fireball grabbed Storm of the Ocean and the four created a huge tornado with streams of water, fire and rock through it. With all her might, Eyes of Pressure pushed the tornado at the enemy. It collided with the monster beasts and destroyed three of them. Zomb and Cenotaph both were blown away, but the other two were just winded. Sanquinex's bit beast still lurked around, eying all the fresh blood. Cherie wiggled out of her cousin's grasp and pulled her blade out.

'What are you doing?' Evette asked as her blade was recalled. 'What can you do?'

Cherie had the look of determination in her eye. 'When Malita gave me my blade back, she told me that no matter what the odds are, if your heart is sided with your beast there's no way you can lose.'

She launched her blade and Butterfly Frenzy emerged. It stared the Vampire beast in the eye and charged head on. It's horn pierced through the Vampire's stomach, and the beast exploded. Sanquinex cursed and turned to run.

'This isn't over yet bladers.' He said evilly. 'We'll see you sooner than you think.'

He spun around and his robes seemed to gobble him up. He had escaped.

'We did it, we really did it.' Cherie said excitedly. Julia smiled and kneeled beside her boyfriend. He stirred and got up uneasily. Julia hugged him tight and kissed her forehead. The others slowly regained consciousness and got up, clearly worn out. Malita crawled over to Oliver and hugged him tight.

'Are you alright?' She asked.

'You know, just a pain in the neck, that's all.' He replied. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek.

'At least you haven't changed.' She turned to see her father sitting and watching them with a smile on his face. She did her best to get to him, and she sat in front of him. A word never past their lips, but they were connecting, not as enemies, but as father and daughter. Tears swelled in her eyes, and she cuddled him. Her father as taken aback, but he returned the embrace.

The teams could finally relax and have a good time, and what better way to have fun then to attend the clan's first wedding. The Wooldridges were finally a family again, with Paris soon to be a stepmother. Even though the eldest daughter Claudia was no longer with them, a new life was created. Paris had a baby and they called her Claudia, after the sister that changed many lives.

The ceremony was beautiful, and the whole thing was a white oriental theme, which was situated outside under canvas. The band as situated behind curtains, waiting for the newlyweds to start their dance. They were getting ready, when Ruby popped up behind them.

'Aren't you singing?' Julia asked. Ruby shook her head.

'No we decided on someone better.' She winked and held Johnny's hand.

'Alright, let the band begin.' Evette's cousin said as he waited for the wedded couple to start dancing. The music was slow, and a girl's voice whom was unfamiliar started to sing. The curtain was pulled up, and the band as playing. Malita was singing, and she sung like it was her life. Evette looked at Ruby who gave the thumbs up, and Evette called everyone else to dance.

Once the song was finished, Evette jumped on stage hugged her friend tightly. She whispered something to the band, which nodded and began to play another song. Everyone cheered and whistled at the song. It was upbeat and everyone had a great time.

The clan didn't get home til the early hours of the morning, and the parents took Cherie away for a holiday to catch up on things. Everyone fell back on a beanbag or a chair and talked and joked for ages. While Enrique was doing tricks with matches (' This is gonna be funny if he stuffs up!' Johnny had said), Malita snuggled up to her boyfriend in a quiet area.

'There's, um, something I need to tell you.' She whispered to him. 'It was my dad I went to see when disappeared for a while.'

'You seemed to disappear for a while, how come?' Oliver asked.

'I had Galloping Knightmare resurrected back into her blade, and in return I had to put Earth Vixen in.' She explained. 'But that's not the reason I was so long. The reason is,' She moved a little closer. 'I went to the hospital due to stomach cramps, and it as there they confirmed I as pregnant.'

Oliver looked in utter shock. Malita kissed him and giggled. 'The thing is, I'm not just having one.'

'You're not having twins, are you?' He asked. She nodded and all he could do as hug her gently. 'Does anyone else know?'

'Not yet, but they'll find out soon enough.'

Johnny's mobile rang, and he answered gruffly. He talked in a serious tone, and then hung up.

'That as Mr. Dickenson, he wants our team to go to Rome In a few days.'

Enrique screwed his nose up. 'Why must we go there?'

'The next tournament is coming up. He wants us to compete in the preliminaries to try and qualify.'

Julia smiled. 'Why don't you try? This is a big opportunity, and they don't come so often.'

It was decided there that they would leave in a two weeks and have a shot to qualify. Evette and Robert left to spend a quiet week away for a honeymoon, and the others got ready to leave back for their hometowns.

'You don't have to go, there's plenty of room.' Cherie whined as everyone had their luggage stack outside.

'They have to go back, sort some issues out.' Malita replied, as everyone waited for the taxis.

'Don't worry, we'll be back soon.' Ruby said winking. 'It's guaranteed.'

'Just have safe trips home guys.' Malita said as she hugged her friends. 'And make sure you call me as soon as you get home, just to make sure you got home safely.'

One by one they all left for the airport, and Malita, Cherie, Keirstine, and Gemmy were left at the estate.

'I think we should go out for a girly afternoon, whaddya say?' Gemmy suggested. The phone rang inside.

'Hold that thought.' Malita replied as she got up and answered it. A few minutes later she came out and smiled.

'Who was that?' Keirstine asked.

'Oh, just Mr. Dickenson, he's coming to see us right after the G-Revolution tournament is over. He thinks we might be next on his list as rising stars. But enough about that, let's go splurge on shopping!'

Gemmy sighed happily. 'Ah, music to my ears.'

And as the four strode down the driveway to the city, a figure sat perched on the roof, eying the owner of Galloping Knightmare with deep interest.

**Finis**


End file.
